Official: Gor-Everton friendly confirmed

Gor Mahia will travel to England to face Everton in an eagerly anticipated friendly match at Goodison Park on either November 7 or 8.

This was confirmed on Thursday by the two clubs and their sponsor, giant gaming firm SportPesa, who are the match organisers.

“Marco Silva’s Everton side will welcome Kenyan SportPesa Premier League champions Gor Mahia FC at Goodison Park later this year following the African club’s victory in the SportPesa Super Cup final in June,” the English Premier League said in a statement.

The match will present Gor Mahia players with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to test their skills against some of the best footballers in the world.

Nation Sport understands the Kenyan club are set to line up against Everton’s first team.

Thus, expect the likes of Harun Shakava, Jacques Tuyisenge, Francis Kahata and Boniface Oluoch to line up against Jordan Pickford, Theo Walcott, Richarlison, Yerry Mina and Bernard.

Pickford is England’s first choice goalkeeper, while Yerry Mina is the Colombian centreback who recently secured an estimated Sh3.5 billion to the Merseyside club from Barcelona. He is best remembered for scoring in three successive matches during the 2018 Fifa World Cup.

This will mark the Kenyan club’s maiden trip to the UK, and the first time for a Kenyan club to play on English soil.

“This is an amazing opportunity for the players and Kenyan football because it is worth more than anybody could offer money for,” an elated Gor Mahia coach Dylan Kerr said.

“I am very excited. It is an opportunity for Gor Mahia to put Kenya on the global football map by playing one of the most established clubs in the UK,” added Kerr.

SportPesa CEO Ronald Karauri said the tour will give Gor Mahia players a chance to play with the best and sample one of the oldest and best stadiums in the world - Goodison Park.

Everton is one of the most established clubs in the UK, having played the most number of top-flight games in English football.

Gor earned a chance to play Everton after emerging the winner of the second edition of the SportPesa Super Cup held between June 3 and 10 in Nakuru, Kenya, featuring eight teams from East Africa.

Karauri said the friendly match will be a good platform for the Gor Mahia players whom he said have given their best to put Kenya on the global and regional map in matters football.

This will be the second time that Gor Mahia face Everton, after meeting for the first time in Dar es Salaam on July 13, 2017 in a fixture to that ended 2-1 in favour of the Wayne Rooney-led side.

Gor also played English Championship side Hull City at a match held in Nairobi on May 13 this year and ended in a goalless draw before the English side won the post-match penalties.

The match was sold out, with the 60,000-seater capacity Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani filling to capacity for the first time in recent years. Everton commenced their 2018/2019 league campaign with a 2-2 draw at Wolves on Saturday.